


Please Try Not to Worry, My Dear

by crispyjenkins



Series: Crispy Writes [11]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: M/M, Non-binary Cody, Obi-Wan is also NB but uses masculine pronouns, Post-Rako Hardeen Arc (Star Wars: Clone Wars), Pre-Relationship, Rex Previously Belonged to the 212th, They/Them Pronouns for CC-2224 | Cody, everybody aboard the kote train choo choo, very minor angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-12 09:26:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29507580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crispyjenkins/pseuds/crispyjenkins
Summary: It isn’t until their cruiser is making the descent over Alderaan that Kenobi finally addresses the tension between them, which only proves that Kenobi is well aware of it, but had put it off as long as he could.
Relationships: Minor or Background Relationship(s), Obi-Wan Kenobi/CT-7567 | Rex, Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker
Series: Crispy Writes [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1960120
Comments: 6
Kudos: 112





	Please Try Not to Worry, My Dear

**Author's Note:**

> **Mando’a:**  
>  _vod/e_ — “brother/s”, “comrade/s”, “sibling/s”, technically gender neutral but used most often in fandom as “brother/s”
> 
> this is a lot less injury angst-y than initially planned because i realised halfway through that i had accidentally rewritten [got me in a tricky situation](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26822758) by [dharmaavocado](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dharmaavocado/pseuds/dharmaavocado), so credit where credit is due! new plot isn't anything like it so i didn't want to put it as inspired by and bother them with it 👉👈  
> 

Not for the first time, Rex wishes Kote were the one here dealing with this, because “how to comfort your favorite Jedi” hadn’t exactly been covered in ARC training – actually, Alpha probably withheld the information on purpose, the fucker.

But Kote is on the other side of the galaxy with the 187th and just as upset they’re not here in Rex’s stead: it’s barely a month off General Kenobi returning to his own face, and Rex knows his _vod_ would strangle the entire Senate if given even half a chance for deploying them separately on their general’s first mission back after the Hardeen… incident. 

And Fett’s Ghost knows Rex’s own general is going to pitch a fit when he finds out Rex is here instead of taking leave like the rest of the 501st, but Kote certainly wasn’t about to let Kenobi go all the way to Alderaan unguarded so soon after his supposed death; and honestly, Rex would have been offended if they had asked anybody else to do it. Thankfully, Kenobi hadn’t seemed offended when Rex had shown up at the Jedi Temple’s flight hangar before he could take off; actually, he had been rather amused. 

Even luckier, Alderaan is barely a day’s jump from Coruscant, so they don’t have to spend _too_ much time awkwardly pretending that Rex hadn’t attended the man’s funeral in Kote’s place (pretending that he wouldn't have attended _anyways),_ or that Rex doesn’t know Anakin hasn’t spoken to his former master since their debrief to the High Council about Cad Bane. Which Rex should absolutely not know in the first place, but Anakin is his friend, for better or for worse, and Ahsoka thinks her master airs far too many of his grievances to his captain.

It isn’t until their cruiser is making the descent over Alderaan that Kenobi finally addresses the tension between them, which only proves that Kenobi is well aware of it, but had put it off as long as he could. It’s a humanising observation, that Rex wishes he could have had when he isn’t the only _vod_ in a ten mile radius that isn’t the pilot, because at least then he wouldn’t be the sole receiver of the soft smile Kenobi gives him as he joins Rex to wait by the shuttle’s access hatch.

Rex thanks his progenitor’s laughing corpse he has his bucket on, because all he can do is stare. 

"You are worried about Anakin,“ Kenobi says matter of factly, though not unkindly, and Rex lets out a breath that’s almost a laugh. 

"I promise I am far more discrete with my thoughts in the field, sir.”

Kenobi chuckles warmly, tucking his arms behind his back to watch the planet under them grow larger as they approach. “Do try not to worry so much, my dear, this will all resolve itself in time." 

It’s hard to stare right at his gentle assuredness, so Rex looks away. "You have far more faith in his ability to forgive than I, sir.”

That laugh strains at the edges. “Yes, well, I’m afraid some of my lessons seem to have been… lacking.”

Rex has regs carbon-printed on his brain, he knows that even without the direct chain of command, the soft push and pull of his relationship with Kenobi, the steady, serene growth of it, is… problematic, for so many reasons that he wouldn’t know where to start. Not least of all is _rank,_ how much more important a Jedi is than a replaceable CC-track washout, but, well, Rex had washed out for being too emotional, so it’s not as if he’s exactly unused to reacting to things inappropriately for a good little soldier.

"It’s not my place, sir,“ he murmurs, remembering Kadavo, remembering Umbara, remembering the hand Kenobi had laid on his shoulder for far too long after his rescue on Naboo, and has Rex really been this gone since then? "just say the word and I won’t mention it again. But just because Kote isn’t here doesn’t mean you have to… shoulder all of this alone.”

In fact, it’s _wildly_ not his place to make such an offer, however implicit, but that month on Kadavo _did_ happen, and Rex isn’t so self-deprecating to believe he hadn’t had a heavy hand in helping Kenobi make it out on the other side as well as he did. He doesn’t think so little of the bond they had formed then, to believe that Obi-Wan is unaware of it. 

Not when he smiles at Rex like that, like he’s a warm cup of caf after a week in the trenches, like Rex is… worthy of such sincere affection. 

As the shuttle settles around them and the pilot announces their arrival over comm, Obi-Wan simply says, “I did not for a moment believe I was, my dear.”

"You and Rex seem close.“

Normally Obi-Wan can feel Anakin coming from an entire corridor away, but he also knows Quinlan has been teaching him a few Shadow tricks, so he isn’t entirely surprised when Anakin appears at his elbow in the empty bridge looking like a smug nexu.

Aside from eating firstmeal with him and Kote in the mess, Obi-Wan hasn’t even seen Rex today, much less interacted with him: as he understands it, Rex is trying to round up the remaining 501st shinies that are running around the _Negotiator,_ so Obi-Wan really doesn’t know where Anakin had gotten that notion. Recently, at least. 

Anakin rolls his eyes and scoffs, leaning back on the railing next to him and crossing his arms. "Please, Master, even Snips has noticed.”

Obi-Wan refrains from telling him that anyone with a modicum more self-awareness than him has noticed. Be that as it may, “This is one of those times where I truly don’t know what you’re trying to say, my dear: I have been close with Rex since he was in the 212th.”

It isn’t even an exaggeration, that there had been… something between them before Anakin whisked Rex away to his own battalion after his knighting, though back then it had been nothing more than friendship. If he recalls correctly, and he does, the cleanup of the Ryloth capitol had been the first time since then that they had worked closely, while Anakin had been on the ground with the locals and Mace had been with General Syndulla, and Obi-Wan had found he still quite enjoyed the way they worked together. Their time on Naboo combating the Blue Shadow virus had only endeared the captain more to him —he does remember a slip in propriety in his relief that Rex had been rescued safely with Padmé and Ahsoka, a hand left too long on the captain’s shoulder until Kote had called him away— enough that Obi-Wan had been both relieved and horrified that it was Rex there to support him on Kadavo.

"Cody said Rex was the one to go with you to Alderaan; you sure nothing ‘happened’ while you were there?“ Anakin chuckles to himself like he’s being incredibly clever, like there isn’t a hickey visible over the collar of his under tunic.

Obi-Wan raises a brow slowly and refrains from rolling his eyes. "Despite what you may believe, Anakin, not everyone leaps into committed relationships after life-threatening situations.” Not that Alderaan had been life-threatening, it had actually been as close to actual leave as Obi-Wan has had the entire war.

"Please, it took Padmé and I _ages_ to–" 

Anakin seems to swallow his tongue, then, face rapidly going purple, and it really is a miracle the entire Republic doesn’t know about his marriage; the GAR certainly does.

Sighing, Obi-Wan checks the chrono and decides it isn’t too early for another cup of tea. “If you have a specific question about my relationship with Captain Rex, I do wish you’d be direct, my dear.”

Anakin splutters. _“Relation_ ship?!”

"Great Maker, Anakin, you’re easier to spook than a half-starved blurrg.“ He pats Anakin’s arm, his sonbrother floundering for anything other than abject confoundment, as Obi-Wan turns away from the bridge to go locate both tea, and his commander to hopefully finalise their newest mission orders. "Don’t worry,” he calls over his shoulder, “I’ll actually let you come to the wedding, unlike _someone.”_

Not that Obi-Wan has any such plans, Maker knows he and Rex have yet to address their feelings in the first place, but he’d be lying if part of him doesn’t want to conspire with the captain in question —and perhaps Ahsoka— to see just how far they could take this before Anakin realises they’re stringing him along. 

Remarkably, Rex is waiting by Obi-Wan’s office with a flimsi cup of tea and a harried smile that promised _quite_ the day chasing after shinies, and Obi-Wan decides conning his former apprentice can wait.

**Author's Note:**

> a prompt fill for @/theclonewarsbrokeme on my tumblr @/crispyjenkins! original prompt: Rexobi. I really just wanna see Rex and Obi-wan drinking together and complaining about the disaster that is Anakin Skywalker. They decide to team up to get anakin to calm the heck down and to talk about his feelings. Anakin doesn’t realize what’s going on but gets the idea he needs to play matchmaker with his master and his captain. He thinks he’s the smart one but he’s really not  
> (very lightly edited from original upload)


End file.
